WANTED! Murder warrant issued in Jefferson County

UPDATE: At about 7 p.m. Thursday, April 17, 2014, acting on a Crime Stoppers Tip, fugitive task force members located and arrested Cody Lewis in Pennington, Texas, about 157 miles northeast of Beaumont just off U.S. 287.

Acting on the tip, deputies located Lewis, who ran from a residence into a wooded area. After a short search, Lewis was taken into custody without incident. Deputies are currently pursuing the charge of harboring a fugitive against several family members and friends who police believe assisted Lewis in hiding from law enforcement over the past two weeks.

The U.S. Marshal’s Service, Beaumont Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Office of the Inspector General, the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, Trinity County District Attorney’s Office, Groveton police and Nacogdoches police participated in the hunt for Lewis, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release, thanking the agencies for their assistance.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office executed three arrest warrants for the arrest of relatives of murder suspect Cody Lewis. A JCSO press release April 22 said they are charged with hindering apprehension of a fugitive. The Jefferson County Warrant Division deputies executed warrants against Hope Pennington, 27, of Groveton; Terrance Edwards, 33, of Crockett; and Cedric Edwards, 31, of Groveton.

In a press release, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy Rod Carroll said all three individuals are cousins of Lewis that helped him hide from law enforcement and had the knowledge that Lewis was wanted on an outstanding warrant for murder. Hope Pennington and Cedric Edwards were booked into Trinity County jail on a $15,000 bond each. Terrance Edwards was booked into the Houston County jail with a $7,500 bond.

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Jefferson County Sheriff's Office announced Monday, April 14, that a murder warrant has been issued for a man previously wanted for tampering with physical evidence in relation to the killing of 53-year-old Dallas resident Kevin Alton Moyer whose body was discovered naked and wrapped in a sheet in the backseat of a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta on South China Road on the morning of April 5. JCSO is searching for 27-year-old Cody Jamar Lewis of Beaumont, who they say should be considered armed and dangerous.

According to a press release issued by JCSO on April 5, dispatch received a call that morning at about 10:29 a.m. in reference to an "unknown medical call" on South China Road east of Hwy. 365. Upon arrival at the scene, first responders with Acadian Ambulance Service and Jefferson County ESD #3 discovered a deceased white male in the rear seat of a tan 2013 Volkswagen Jetta, naked and wrapped in what appeared to be a bed sheet, Deputy Rod Carroll reports. Judge Ray Chesson pronounced the unidentified male deceased at the scene and ordered an autopsy. Preliminary results revealed Moyer was the victim of murder, but further results are pending.

Two other men were already arrested for Moyer's murder and remain in custody at the Jefferson County Correctional Facility as of April 7. Beaumont residents 31-year-old Yiannis Nikolaos Mihail and 21-year-old Arthur Christopher Harmon are both in jail, each with $1 million bonds.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Lewis should contact Crime Stoppers at (409) 833-8477[3]. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information leading to the location and arrest of Lewis or any other wanted fugitive. No attempt should be made to detain him as Lewis is considered armed and dangerous.